Wall washer



May 24, 1938. w. L1. DUNLAP WALL WASHER Filed Sept. 30, 1936 PatentedMay 24, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3l Claims.

This invention relates to a wall washer designed to be used inconjunction with deep well pumps.

An object of the invention is to provide a de- 5 vice that may be usedin association with deep well pumps wherein the hydro-static weight fliquid being pumped, such as oil, in the well tubing, may be utilized tocreate a spray to spray the Walls of the well at the producingformation. It frequently occurs that the pores in the producingformation become plugged or stopped up due to the presence of heavyasphaltum or paraffin in the oil. By means of the present invention thewalls may be sprayed tending to keep these pores open.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combined valve seat andflow-bean.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a combined wallWasher, gas separator and sand trap wherein the sand trap will beautomatically dumped so that the device is susceptible of being used invery sandy wells.

With the foregoing and other objects in View which will be made manifestin the following detailed description and specifically pointed out inthe appended claims, reference is had to the accompanying drawing for anillustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the improved Wall washer, gasseparator and sand trap.

Fig. 2a is a partial view in vertical section illustrating a portion ofFig. 1 on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 2b is a partial view in vertical section illustrating the balanceof Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken substantially upon the line 3-3 ofFig. 2a to illustrate the construction of the valve seat and combinedflow-bean.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken substantially upon the line 4-4upon Fig. 2a.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken substantially upon the line 5--5upon Fig. 2b.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the spray beans or nozzles.

Referring to the accompanying drawing wherein similar referencecharacters designate similar parts throughout, ID designates a couplingmember enabling the device to be attached to the bottom of the workingbarrel of a deep well pump (not shown). This coupling member I0 is inturn connected to a coupling Il which receives a combined valve seat andow-bean, the bean portion of which is indicated at I2 and has a verticalcentral passage therethrough of reduced diameter. At the top of thecombined valve seat and iiow-bean there is formed a seating surfaceindicated at I3 for the reception of a ball valve I4 retained within acage I5. 'I'he seating surface I3 is provided with a plurality of radialgrooves I6 so that in effect the seat for ball Ill is designed to leak.In other words, when the ball is seated, the groove I6 will not beclosed thereby but will permit a small quantity 10 of fluid above theball I4 to drain back therethrough. Coupling II has connected thereto anouter tube I1 and an inner tube or mosquitobill I8. In the outer tube I1there are av plurality of drilled and tapped holes arranged in 15staggered relation to each other. In each hole there is screwed a verysmall bean or spray nozzle, such as those indicated at I9. Each bean orspray nozzle has a bore therethrough which is very ne, preferably madeby a very fine drill. The external semi-circular lips 20 may be used tofacilitate screwing these beans into the drilled and tapped holes. Theouter tube I1 in turn is connected to a lower coupling 2| which providesa seat for a ball 22 retained within a cage 23. The construction of thisseat is intended 25 to conform to conventional practice so that whenball 22 is seated it forms a perfect closure through coupling 2l. Thiscoupling in turn suspends an outer tube 24 and an inner tube ormosquito- 30 bill 25. In the outer tube there are formed one or moreupper apertures 26 and one or more lower apertures 21. The lowerapertures are intended to form entrances for the oil and such gas andsand as may be present. The upper 35 apertures 26 are intended to affordgas outlets, it being understood that when the mixture of oil and gasenters the inlets 21 and ows downwardly around mosquito-bill 25, the gastends to separate and may pass out of the outer 40 tube 24 through theupper apertures 26. The outer tube 24 has connected thereto a coupling28 which has a downwardly disposed valve seat 29 which is normallyclosed by a ball 30. Coupling 28 has suspended therefrom a round- 45nosed plug or bottom member 3| having a centrai aperture 32 at itsbottom and side apertures 33 near its top. Coupling 28 also suspends acap 31% having apertures 35 in registration or alignment with apertures33. The bottom 55 of this cap is perforated as indicated at 36 and thecap is designed to receive a spring 31 urging a pin 38 upwardly againstball 30 to hold it in closed position. The pin extends through a spider39. In the bottom of the cap there is an 55 adjusting screw 4I] whichmay be adjusted to vary the compression of spring 31.

The operation and advantages of the improved construction are asfollows: Upon the upward stroke of the plunger of the deep well pump notshown, oil and gas is drawn into tube 24 through apertures 21. The gasseparates and may flow out through apertures 26. The oil and sand thatis present, if any, passes downwardly, the oil entering themosquito-bill 25. 'Ihe sand tends to collect Within coupling 28 on topof the ball 30 and when a sucient amount of sand collects on the ball,its Weight depresses the ball so that the sand is discharged throughapertures 35 and 33. Perforations 36 keep the interior of the cap aroundthe spring free so that the spring will readily function to allOWrtheYYball 30 to be depressed by the weight of the sand. Aperture 32 providesfor egress of sand that may not escape through aperturesY 33. throughmosquito-bill 25 past ball Valve 22 and is drawn through mosquito-billI8 through bean I2 and past the ball valve I4. It will be understoodthat the deep well pump With which the device is used has its standingvalve removed. In other words, ball I4 is intended to take the place ofthe conventional standing valve. Upon the downward stroke of the plungerduring which the plunger Valve is open, the entire weight of the columnof fluid in the tubing above the plunger is transmitted directly to ballI4 and due to the presence of the groove I6, Yleakage back may takeplace under this high hydro-staticv pressure of the column of liquid inthe tubing. The interior of outer tube Il is thus subjected to highhydro-static pressure which is carried by cross ball valve 22. Thisresults in jets of liquid being discharged at high velocity and underhigh pressure through the bores in beans I9. This effectively sprays thewalls of the formation parf ticularly due to the staggered relation ofthe beans. By raising or lowering the tubing the position of the beansI9 can be varied and by periodically shifting the tubing, the formationcanV be effectively'sprayed through its entire height. It is notintended that any large portion of the fluid in the tubing drain'backthrough groove I6 during each down stroke of the plunger, but that onlya relatively small portion of the fluid lifted during each stroke shallthus drain backV and be discharged through the beans I9. In this mannerthe major portion of the luid lifted during each stroke-of the plungerwill be retained in the tubing and only a small portion allowed toescape back for spraying purposes.

' It is not essential that the sand trap be used The oil is drawn up` onthe bottom of the outer tube 24. Any other closure for the bottom ofthis tube such as the conventional bull plug may be used for thispurpose if desired.

Various changes may be made in the details of the construction withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the invention as dened by theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A wall washer comprising a tube attachable to a deep well pump, therebeing laterally directed openings formed in the tube, a downwardlyclosing check valve closing the bottom of said tube, there being aninner tube Within said tube leading to the bottom of the pump andextending downwardly toward said check valve to a point beneath saidlaterally directed openings whereby uponY downward strokes of theplunger of the pump a portion of the fluid elevated may returndownwardly through the inner tube and be discharged in sprays laterallyfrom said tube against the walls of the formation.

2. A Wall washer comprising a tube attachable to a deep well pump, therebeing laterally directed openings formed in the tube, a downwardlyclosing check valve closing the bottom of said tube, there being aninner tube within said tube leading to the bottom of the pump andextending downwardly toward said check valve toV a point beneath saidlaterally directed openings whereby upon downward strokes of theyplunger of the pump a portion of the fluid elevated may returndownwardly through the inner tube and be discharged in sprays laterallyfrom said tube against the walls of the formation, there being a beancontrolling the flow through the top of said inner tube. Y

3. A wall washer comprising a tube attachable to a deep Well pump, therebeing laterally directed openings formed in the tube, a downwardlyclosing check Valve closing the bottom of said tube, there being aninner tube within said tube leading to the bottom of the pump andextending downwardly toward said check Valve to a point beneath saidlaterally directed openings whereby upon downward strokes of the plungerof the pump a portion of the uid elevated may return downwardly throughthe inner tube and be discharged in sprays laterally from said tubeagainst the walls of the formation, there being a bean controlling theflow through the top of said inner tube, the top of the bean beingenlarged to form a seat, a ball on the seat and there being radialgrooves in the seat to enable the return of the portion of fluidelevated.

WILLIAM J. DUNLAP.

